James Martin Petersen

James ""Martin"" Petersen, age 89, of Littleton, Colorado (formerly of Grand Island, Nebraska), died on October 6, 2011, at his residence in Morningstar Senior Living Center in Littleton, CO. Martin was born December 13, 1921, to James and Josephine (Martin) Petersen at the family home near Craig, Nebraska. He was the fourth of six sons born to Jim and Josie. Martin attended school at District 50 in Burt County, Nebraska, just one mile from the family farm. On June 25, 1944, Martin married Betty G. Jensen at the Riverside Baptist Church near Decatur, Nebraska. They were blessed with four children '"" Keith, Ronn, Joan and Jeanne. Martin farmed in Burt County until 1958 when the family moved to York County, Nebraska, where Martin operated a dairy and farmed crops until 1962. In 1962 he accepted a job as manager of the dairy at Platte Valley Academy (a Seventh-day Adventist boarding high school) in Shelton, Nebraska. Betty was also employed by the school. All four of their children graduated from Platte Valley Academy. Martin remained at this job for nearly 27 years, retiring from there in 1988. Martin and Betty then moved to their retirement home in Grand Island, Nebraska. Martin was then employed at Wheeler's Farm Store which later became Country General. Then store changed ownership several more times over the ensuing years and was also known as Cargills, then Central Tractor, and lastly Orschlen's. Martin worked at each one of the stores until he completely retired in 2008 to take care of his wife, Betty, who had been diagnosed with Alzhiemer's disease and succumbed to the disease on July 29, 2010. Martin was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was an ordained elder and deacon of the church. His hobbies included woodworking, gardening, and mowing his beautiful lawn. Martin was preceded in death by his wife Betty and his son Ronn. He is survived by his children, Keith Petersen of Loma Linda, California, Joan Bowen of San Antonio, Texas, and Jeanne Cummings of Littleton, Colorado; by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Julie (Petersen) and husband Gianni Giannandrea (Mia and Tony), Jeffrey Petersen, Jason Bowen (Christopher, Natasha, and Austin), Jodi (Bowen) and husband Tim Pennington (Kianna and Cheyanne), Nathan Cummings, Kari Cummings, Amy (Petersen) and husband John Dunzweiler (Autumn, Sierra, and Forrest), and Erik and wife Tara Petersen; as well as nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, cousins, brothers- and sisters-in-law, and many friends. The family will receive visitors from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, October 8, at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, October 9, at Morningstar Senior Living, 5344 So. Kipling Parkway, Littleton, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Rural Seventh-day Adventist Cemetery, c/o Victor Jensen, 3030 County Road P, Tekamah, NE 68061, or to the Alzheimer's Assoc., P. O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 or at http://www.alz.org Please share your memories of Martin and condolences with his family by selecting the ""sign guestbook"" button below.